Throughout the 2022-23 academic year, St Luke’s Sports Centre have been very busy, fundraising for charities, increasing workforce development around the city, as well as helping the community of Exeter. It’s been great to see the amazing things the centre have achieved this year, and Tom Prout (Duty Manager) gives us a rundown of some of the highlights…
Action after Stroke
For the first time since before Covid, St Lukes Sports Centre saw the return of Action After Stroke. Action After Stroke is a non-profit, student-led organisation which provides a friendly and secure environment where individuals who have had a stroke (or other neurological disorder) can exercise in a gym. It also provides an important social aspect, where stroke survivors can meet other people who have gone through similar experiences and enjoy social gatherings, such as the biannual group meal. St Luke’s Sports Centre is proud to aid this great cause.
More lifeguards and swim teachers qualified!
NPLQ
This year has seen St Lukes run 3 NPLQ courses to support the recruitment of casual staff and provide job opportunities to students/Staff at the University of Exeter. Organised by Duty manager colleagues Tom Prout and Sam Gingell, the course pictured to the left provided one of our full-time members of Staff Simon Brassington the chance to complete his national Pool Lifeguard Qualification, who has now successfully gained a job role as a Duty manager and has proved hugely beneficial to the lifeguarding team at Cornwall House this year.
Level 1 Swim Assistant
This year saw the completion of a Level 1 Swim Teacher course for the first time since before Covid to support staffing problems posed upon the St Lukes Swim School. Successfully led by Assistant Operations Manager Chris Keirle with the support of the Duty Manager team at St Luke’s, the Swim School programme is designed for children and adults of all abilities, from those who have never swum to competitive swimmers. Our lessons follow the Swim England pathway and swimmers are assessed against specific criteria to progress along the swim school. This past year has seen both staffing issues and wider improvements in the Swim School to a level not seen before.
Fundraising
MoSpin
In November 2022, we saw St Luke’s Sports Centre take on a 600km ‘All Day’ spin which raised £1,013 for the charity Movember Europe, a charity supporting men’s mental health. The All-Day Spin took place from 6:30 am to 10:00 pm in St Luke’s Sports Centre Reception and allowed anyone to jump on the spin bike at any point; it just had to be constantly spinning! Led by Duty manager Tom Prout who showed off his great Moustache, the event saw the support of staff, students and the community combine forces to reach the goal of raising £1000 for Movember and spinning the whole 600km. It was a great day for all and a great achievement for St Lukes.
This Girl Can – Play Darts
In Support of the ‘This Girl Can’ scheme in the month of March, St Lukes Sports Centre decided to bring the sport of darts to the spotlight of reception. This was an event that saw great participation with prizes at stake and something you don’t expect to see in a Leisure Centre often!
Fitness Fun
Circuit Comeback
This year saw the return of St Luke’s Circuits fitness class run by Assistant Operations Manager Christopher Keirle. Being one of the most popular fitness classes, it has seen staff, community and students of all genre challenge and push themselves in an exercise environment, bringing a sense of team achievement back to the centre since before Covid.
Challenge Yourself
The St Luke’s Gym Challenge across the year has been a great success, having a wide range of customers participate even including children from the Swim School! It has been great to see friends and colleagues take on the challenge and sometimes even competitively challenge one another or come back to see if they can beat their initial first attempt!
Floating to Cornwall House
This year St Luke’s Sports Centre saw the re-organisation of our Float Fit class at Cornwall House Outdoor Pool. Taken by Fitness Instructor Chris Waller, this fun and popular class sees regular participation from students, staff, and the community across the University. A great exercise class to do when the weather is nice!
Equipment Upgrade
Through the great teamwork of Duty Managers Sam Gingell and Cath Keirle, the St Lukes fitness suite has seen huge improvements including a new layout, new equipment such as hammer strength platforms and cable machines, the implementation of personal training and there might also be a rumour that LED mood lighting is on the way! We have had great feedback about what we have done with the fitness suite at St Lukes Sports Centre and it is great to see the positive impacts it has had on our customers.
